Fruitful Friday

I am praying that today, I have a Fruitful Friday.  I need a fruitful day.

Parts of this week have felt a little FRUIT LOOPY, too busy.

Issues have kept me from home much of the week, and I need
to get caught up on so many things around here.

I'm home alone again, but I won't be making any chocolate gravy,
I won't be painting anything, no shelves, no cabinets.

And hopefully-

I won't lock myself out of the house, twice in one day,
like I did the last time I was home alone.
Yeah, I know,
I failed to write about that, but, oh well, now you know...
(Mr. C came to my rescue, thankfully!)

Today I will crank up my praise music, and CLEAN!

I have a good time with the Lord, while cleaning the house,
listening to praise songs, all the while doing my best to spruce
up our home He has blessed us with.  I want to be a good
steward over the home God has given us, and bless my
family with an organized, clean, inviting place to come
back to after being away all day.

I pray you all have Fruitful Fridays, wherever you are.

I'll leave you with today's devotion
from Oswald Chamber's, My Utmost For His Highest-


FEB 25, 2011

~The Destitution of Service~

. . . though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved —2 Corinthians 12:15

"Natural human love expects something in return. But Paul is saying,
“It doesn’t really matter to me whether you love me or not.
I am willing to be completely destitute anyway;
willing to be poverty-stricken, not just for your sakes,
but also that I may be able to get you to God.”
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor . . .”
(2 Corinthians 8:9).
And Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s.
He did not care how high the cost was to himself—
he would gladly pay it. It was a joyful thing to Paul.
The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God
is not at all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that
we serve Him by being the servants of others.

Jesus Christ actually “out-socialized” the socialists.
He said that in His kingdom the greatest one would
be the servant of all (see Matthew 23:11). The real test
of a saint is not one’s willingness to preach the gospel,
but one’s willingness to do something like washing the
disciples’ feet— that is, being willing to do those things
that seem unimportant in human estimation
but count as everything to God.

It was Paul’s delight to spend his life for God’s interests
in other people, and he did not care what it cost.
But before we will serve, we stop to ponder our personal
and financial concerns— “What if God wants me to go
over there? And what about my salary?
What is the climate like there? Who will take care of me?
A person must consider all these things.”
All that is an indication that we have reservations
about serving God. But the apostle Paul had no conditions
or reservations. Paul focused his life on Jesus Christ’s idea
of a New Testament saint; that is, not one who merely
proclaims the gospel, but one who becomes broken bread
and poured-out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for the sake of others."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We who have been called to serve in our homes, we know
where our mission field is, and we understand hopefully
the high calling of being willing to do, and be poured out-
"being willing to do those things
that seem unimportant in human estimation
but count as everything to God."

Praying that I serve faithfully, and have
fruit-filled, fruitful days!

Should I have Slugged Him?

Yesterday, I spent the morning with Mr. C.

Along with his daily duties at work, he was asked by his employer
to go and pick up some pork, that had been processed at a meat
processing place, owned by Mennonite-Amish families.

This place is near the Country Market, owned by a different
Menn.-Amish family, and is one of our favorite places in the
whole wide world.  So, Mr. C asked me to ride along with him.
But before we left town, he had a few errands to run for his employer.

It was warm in the truck, so I took my coat off, and laid it on my
lap.  There's fur trim around the hood, that's realistic looking,
and the fur was curled around on my lap.

When we pulled into the bank drive-thru,
the bank-teller girl saw the fur and
exclaimed-"What do I see?  Do you have
an animal in there with you today???"

Mr. C, not understanding what she meant,
responded by saying, and thinking he was
coming to my defense,

"I've got my wife with me today, that's not an animal!"

I looked at her,

and she looked at me....

and I thought about slugging him.

She immediately said, "Ummm, I saw that fur
and thought I saw a puppy or something laying there
on your lap."  I just grinned, I knew what she meant.

As soon as we drove off, I explained to Mr. C,
"She DIDN'T think I was an animal!!!  She saw this fur,
here on my lap, and thought IT was an animal!!!" 

I'm thinking I should have slugged him.

But I didn't.

He thought he was being so noble and all,
coming to my rescue, saving me from the bank-teller,
who he thought, must have really bad eyesight, if she
thought he had a puppy sitting there beside him in his truck.

Next time, before he comes to my rescue, I hope he
is clear on the facts of the situation at hand.

Poor guy, he thought he said the right thing.

We laughed it off, and drove to the hills, to pick up
the freshly processed pork, and to stop by the
Country Market for a sandwich made w/ the
famous fresh bread.

It ended up being a really great day, and I must say
Mr. C assured me he's always ready to defend my
honor.

And I lovingly reminded him, that yes, he is,
even when my honor is not at stake.

Good to know he's on the alert!

Oh well, the lesson in this, be ready to laugh with your spouse,
it makes for a much more fun marriage, instead of taking the
smallest of offenses and making mountains out of
molehills.   Please don't be guilty of that, that is no fun at all.
Learn to love and laugh together it sure is more enjoyable!



P.S.  Warmer temps have kept me busy, so sorry I haven't posted in awhile.
Hope you all are well, and enjoying whatever is going on in your life at this moment.

Crying in My Coffee

Here in the South, people like to make fun of
Country music songs, and call them
"crying in your beer" songs.

Well, I have different music,
the best music ever known by mankind,
music that makes me cry in my coffee.

This morning as I sat in the kitchen next to our
big picture window, I sipped my mocha latte,
watched the little birds feeding, on top of the snow,
where I scattered seed for them, and listened
to one of our favorite Christian radio stations.

Every song this morning, every single word,
ministered to my heart.  I felt His love just raining
down on me, and my heart was so full, overflowing,
and when that happens tears of joy fall freely from my eyes.

I cried in my coffee.

I want to start every day with moments like that,
in complete adoration of my God!

Draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you,
He will overwhelm you, He will flood your heart
with His faithful love and His goodness.

Oh how my heart has needed this time of refreshing!

It's glorious!
 
"All that is within me cries, for You alone, be glorified
Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!!!

My heart sings a brand new song,
my DEBT is PAID, my CHAINS are gone,
Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!!!

Such a tiny offering, such a tiny offering,
compared to Calvary,
nevertheless, we lay this at your feet!"
- by Mercy Me

I share the link below, to hopefully bless you all dear friends.

Third Day- Children of God

Go ahead, cry tears of joy in your coffee, tea, water,
whatever you are having at this moment, let this
moment be filled with adoration for Him alone.

Prayer

Prayer has been a prominent theme lately, in my daily.

 This post by Anne of Homeschool On the Croft, and a
conversation with Mr. C, one recent morning, honestly
sharing the struggles we experience in our prayer life.  

A weekly newsletter I receive in my in-box every week, 

contained an article just yesterday, 

on the importance and privilege of prayer.   

Our pastor, in his last two sermons has been urging us,

to realize the importance of interceding for one another. 

And then  this new acquaintance  shares on her blog about the
encouragement  she received,knowing that someone is praying
for her, all because of  this encouraging post, on another blog
where the readers are beingencouraged to pray for the person
in the comments section, the one who commented directly
above their own comment.

Just now, my phone rang and a dear friend from church has 

asked if I would be interested in being a part of a group of families,

committed to praying for one another on a daily basis.

His Holy Spirit is reminding us through our Pastors,

Christian friends and others, He is calling us,

reminding us, prayer is so very important
for the life of the believer. 

Sometimes our busyness can make us forget just how important prayer is.  

An excerpt from the article I read yesterday-

"The Priority of Prayer
Referred to over 500 times in the Scriptures, everyone can exercise this fantastic resource. It's a ministry all of us are called to. In fact, it is the most important activity a Christian can engage in.
It is absolutely incredible that we each have a priority connection directly into the Throne Room of the Universe! It is amazing to realize that this astonishing resource is so available and so rarely used. It is unquestionably the most powerful weapon we could possibly have. 

And it is the deciding factor in spiritual warfare."

"(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)" 2 Corinthians 10:4

A spiritual battle rages all around us, and there are some days I admit, too many days regretfully, that I have not prayed as I should for the people God has put in our path.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-18 (Amplified Bible)
   
¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

     

¹¹Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

     

¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

    ¹³Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

     

¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,

     

¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the ^[a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness ^[b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.^(B)

    

¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of ^[c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].

     

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit ^[d]wields, which is the Word of God.

     

¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people)."

A call to pray, intercede, with strong purpose and perseverance.  
Do these words stir your heart?  
Do you sense the importance of our duty?  

God, awaken my slumbering heart.

Not dependent upon our flesh, but upon Him and His strength, 
solely based on the position given to us through Christ Jesus, 
may we answer the call, firmly and resolutely in our hearts.

¹⁶"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly 
draw near to the throne of grace 
(the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), 
that we may receive mercy [for our failures] 
and find grace to help in good time for every need
[appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." 
Hebrews 4:16 Amplified Bible 

 

Surprise In The Snow

Monday morning brought us the heaviest snowfall we've ever seen.

The flakes were huge and came down so thick.

Our mail arrives in the morning hours, and I was so surprised
when our mail lady came to the door in the midst of this short-
lived blizzard.

There she was, traipsing through the snow, bringing packages
to our door.  Poor thing, she was freezing, it was sooo cold! 

It's not unusual for us to receive packages, our eldest daughter
has her own photography business, and she has orders delivered
here, so she can preview them before she delivers them to
her customers.

I was surprised to see there was also something for me.

Something I've been waiting for with great anticipation.

You see, I was one of the blessed individuals
who won something special from this precious lady.  

Do any of you recognize whose sheep are now gracing our wall?

Those very beautiful sheep who live all the way over in Scotland?

Laying there on the shelf, under the calender is a precious,
hand-written note, in my home, from a dear friend in Scotland.

This is so precious to me.  So very precious.

Thank you Anne for your generous giveaway,
and thank you for the sweet note you included!!!

I wanted to share right away that it had made it here,
safe and sound, but the day of the snowstorm, we lost
power for about 3 1/2 hours and also lost internet access.
I didn't have time yesterday to write a post, & share,
so here I am today, Anne, I'm letting you know, it's HERE!

I cherish every picture, it's so VERY beautiful!

Thank you!  Thank you! 

Snow Day Tradition

When our little Ms. W woke up this morning, huge, gigantic
snowflakes were falling from the sky.  We snapped this picture
a little later, once the morning light made it possible to see
the beautiful blanket of snow we have this morning.

It has continued snowing all morning and is probably 4" deep now.

When we started homeschooling years ago,
I decided that on snow days,I needed a tradition
for my girls, since we had no reason to cancel school
due to snowfall..  We still did our schoolwork, but to
make the snow day seem special I always fixed them
chocolate gravy and biscuits for breakfast.  They were
allowed to play in the snow while I cooked
this yumminess for them.

There is absolutely nothing healthy about this meal,
nothing whatsoever,other than it's good food for your
emotional state of being. You see, in my opinion
chocolate in any form,  
makes me really happy, so, I believe it's
a really good mood enhancer. 

If you are inclined to try this for yourself,
here are the recipes I promised,
this should be enough for a family of four
(or a few more...)


Southern Baking Powder Biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
6 rounded tablespoons shortening or butter,
(I use real butter)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400*. Put a couple tablespoons butter w/ a little drizzle of cooking oil
to grease your biscuit pan, BUT don't forget it and let your butter scorch.
The drizzle of oil will help keep the butter from scorching as quickly,
but keep an eye on it.  You want your pan hot, but not smoking.
While the pan is warming up- 

Sift together the dry ingredients.
Work in the butter/shortening with a pastry blender or fork.
Add enough milk to make a soft workable dough.
Knead the dough until smooth.
At this point you can either use a tablespoon size serving spoon,
and spoon out dough to make drop biscuits, or you can roll your
dough out onto a lightly floured surface, to the desired thickness
and cut your biscuits out with either a biscuit cutter or flour the rim
of a small rim glass and cut your biscuits out with that.

Turn your biscuits in the pan, once you've put them in there to
cover the top and bottom with the melted butter/oil.

Bake @ 400* until golden brown and puffy.

 

CHOCOLATE GRAVY
6 tablespoons cocoa
4 heaping tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups of sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2  tablespoons butter

In a saucepan, thoroughly combine all dry ingredients.
Once thoroughly mixed add water, mixing a little at a time,
until smooth.  Add milk, same way, add a little until smooth
and thoroughly combined.

Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly.  It'll take a while for
it to thicken, once it does however, if it starts to get too thick,
like a pudding, add a little milk to thin and make it the
consistency of gravy.

Add vanilla and butter once it has reached the right consistency.

Serve over hot biscuits fresh from the oven.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy!

I learned last week, that it's not nearly as fun to eat
chocolate gravy and biscuits all alone, 
I honestly prefer sharing 
this with the ones I love most.

  

Home Alone, part 2

My family did it again,

they left me home alone the other day...

And I did exactly what any Southern housewife would do, 
when she's home alone, and has just finished a conversation 
with a dear cousin about the following goodness, 
which honestly has been a family tradition 
for 3 generations now...


I made some chocolate gravy,
just for myself...
I've never eaten this alone.  


In the past I only had this with 
my siblings.  In this home, I've
only had it with my children.


Never alone!

And I made some 
homemade drop biscuits.

A woman in the south is known
by her biscuits, and the most 
important thing she must do is
achieve a "good crust".

My mother informed me, that in order
to attain that crust, one must put butter 
in the biscuit pan and then heat it up in 
the oven before putting the biscuits in 
the pan to bake.  That way the bottoms 
start to cook as soon as the biscuit dough
hits the heated pan.  
(But be sure not to let your pan get too hot, 
or else the butter will scorch.)

Drizzle your chocolate gravy over your
warm biscuits, and add a couple pats of
real butter on top.



  


 







Serve with a glass of ice cold milk.


Be sure to invite a charming friend 
over to enjoy this Southern delicacy 
with you, such as Emma perhaps?















Once Emma and I were finished with our
visit, which was a very short one, 

(I honestly didn't have the time she needed, 
to give her my undivided attention that day and 
I certainly didn't have time to find out just 
how Mr. Knightly felt about her, 
that'll  just have to wait for another day),

I headed to the sitting room 
(the former dining room)

and brought together the 
pieces I've been collecting
for the area I'm working on 
above the coffee bar. 















I have been picking up items on
clearance, when I happen upon them,
a few things here and there, 
not spending much at all.

I've repainted a wooden shelf I'll be using,
it used to be red, it needs just one more
coat of white paint and then it will be 
ready to hang.


It dawned on me, that I've created a bird theme 
in our home, without even really planning to.
I just love birds, and when I see a little something
on clearance with a bird, I'm drawn to it.  


Last week, I sat down with my youngest 
daughter, to decide what I would like for her
to paint, to hang in our living room.

Here are the beginning stages of what she is
doing for me-




















We are such outdoor enthusiasts, 
and love bringing the outdoors in, 
whenever we can.  


I really do love birds!


She is going to do two panels for me.  


Once she finishes them, and I finish the
coffee bar area I'll try to remember to share
pictures.  


I have finished painting the back of the cabinets that
face our sitting room and it looks nice 
(where I started painting in Home Alone pt. 1)
But, Mr. C would really like for me to finish 
the laundry room before starting another project. 

So, the cabinets have to stay 
olive green a little longer.  

In our laundry/utility room,
I'm going to have to do a textured ceiling, 
mud and sand the walls in a few spots, and then
paint that room.  He's been waiting a long time
for me to get motivated to tackle all of that. 


I have to admit, I'm not excited about the amount
of work that room needs, but I know once I get it
done I'll be glad Mr. C insisted I deal with it first.


The cabinets have to wait, but, maybe they are the
motivation I need to push me to get the 
laundry room finished.  


Anyway, that is how I spent a portion of my 
day home alone.  I would share the recipes in
this post, but this one is too long as it is. 
Next post I will share the recipes.





"My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.   Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.   Blessed [are] they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah"  Psalms 84: 2-4   

God Will Take Care of You

Today I have friends and family who are snowed in, 

some are in areas where they are iced over. 

I have a friend who has a newborn grand-daughter in ICU who 

has already had 3 open heart surgeries, in her first few 

days of life, and now this same friend has a husband who 

is a lineman, and yesterday he was sent out of state to help in the 

hardest hit areas of our country where power has been lost.  

Men from all over the U. S. will go and help those in need.

And so as I think on these things, and pray for friends and loved ones,
I am reminded that-

Our God is always in control, and He will take care of His own.

This is so sweet, I pray it blesses you all just as it did me.
How precious for this little guy to be learning to sing such good
songs along with his Daddy and Momma. 

(Please pause the playlist on the sidebar before playing the video)